Rockland firefighters recall 9/11 sacrifices

John Weatherby stands at attention during Rockland's ceremony on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011. Buy Photo

Stephen Betts

Dennis Camber (left) and Assistant Chief Kenneth Elwell of the Rockland Fire Department stand in front of the 9/11 memorial outside the fire station in Rockland. Rockland held a ceremony Wednesday on the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Buy Photo

ROCKLAND, Maine — Rockland firefighters marked the anniversary Wednesday morning of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, which claimed the lives of 343 of their fellow rescue workers from New York City.

Firefighter Chris Whytock said the anniversary will be remembered every year for as long as they can stand.

Fire Chief Charles Jordan Jr. said the key word to the phrase “fire service” is “service.” He said the men and women in the service don’t perform their duties for the compensation nor the excitement of fighting fires. He said it is a privilege to be able to help people in your community.

Highlighting that such service goes beyond firefighting, Jordan recounted how New York firefighters had helped save a woman from a stairwell before the collapse of one of the towers. When the firefighters who survived the collapse learned a decade later that the woman had died but that the family could not afford a funeral, they assisted in getting publicity and donations. At her funeral, the firefighters who helped carry her down the stairs that day, carried her casket into the church.

The ceremony in Rockland was held outside the city fire station in front of a memorial to the New York City firefighters that was erected last year.